Jonathan Russell

August 16, 2017 6:00PM at Cask Alehouse

Jonathan Russell is an award-winning jazz violinist, film composer and songwriter who connects with audiences through improvised jazz and writes multi-genre music that adds compelling experiences to visual media. His critically acclaimed performances in Europe and throughout the United States, at clubs and festivals such as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the Bohem Ragtime & Jazz Festival in Hungary, have earned the respect and praise of seasoned jazz musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Bucky Pizzarelli and the late Les Paul. His film score credits include work on the controversial Bollywood release by Prakash Jha Aarakshan as well as numerous web and new media releases.
Jonathan began studying violin at three and began performing for audiences by the age of five. His natural sense of swing and unique ability to improvise led to performances throughout the New York metropolitan area and a feature in the New York Times that noted his ability by age seven to conjure "sophisticated improvisations on the melodies of jazz standards." Since that time Jonathan has balanced typical New York life with performances around the country.
He began composing at the age of eight, taking composition lessons with Juilliard professor Sam Zyman, and by the age of twelve fell in love with film scores. His initial efforts at writing and sharing his own arrangements of popular scores led to study with faculty members from the graduate program at NYU, Ron Sadoff and film composer Ira Newborn. He scored his first professional short film, Radio Hate, at the age of fifteen. In 2012 he received an additional music credit for the film Aarakshan, which was directed by Prakash Jha. He has scored a number of Indie shorts along with a couple of national TV ads
In 2005, at the age of nine, Jonathan was awarded an Alternative Styles Award by the American String Teachers Association. In 2006, Jonathan had the honor of being the youngest jazz musician ever invited to play in a master class at Jazz at Lincoln Center, taught by today's foremost name in jazz violin, Regina Carter. In addition to numerous other awards and distinctions, Jonathan is proud to have received the U.S. Ambassador's Award in Hungary for his performances in March of 2008, promoting mutual understanding and strengthening the friendship between the two countries. In November of 2008 Jonathan appeared as one of the youngest ever feature performers with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra at Rose Hall in New York. Those performances at Rose Hall were also featured in live broadcast on XM Satellite Radio and re-broadcast on NPR stations around the world.
In 2009 Jonathan was awarded the use of one of the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violins by Grammy Award winning fiddler Mark O'Connor and the faculty at his inaugural Fiddle Conference, held in New York City. Jonathan has been a feature performer at major jazz festivals, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, with repeat visits to the Suncoast Dixieland, New Jersey, and North Carolina jazz festivals. In 2008 he made his European debut at the Bohem Ragtime & Jazz Festival with performances in eight cities throughout Hungary. He has been featured at The Blue Note in New York City and has performed numerous times at Iridium and Birdland. He has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Bucky Pizzarelli, Les Paul, John Lamb, John Bunch, Svend Asmussen, and more than 50 jazz bands from the United States and Europe. As his playing has matured he has also begun leading his own bands and ensembles, often made up of experienced musicians including Ellington and Goodman alumni as well as some of the top new names in jazz today. This ability to perform jazz from the entire breadth of its 100-year history and attract the support of seasoned professionals explains part of why he is in such demand.
Some see Jonathan Russell as an integral link to the future of jazz, connecting younger generations of listeners with great musicians and band leaders. His youth presentations have helped connect students with jazz by identifying aspects of jazz in everyday modern life and opened inexperienced musicians to the wonders of improvisation. His performances seamlessly integrate classical, modern, and popular melodies into the fabric of jazz standards while respecting and acknowledging the golden age of jazz in America and the performers who have come before.
He has released three CDs, with classic jazz musicians such as, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ed Polcer and Nicky Parrott. His Third CD entitled simply Duets is a collection of modern interpretations that according to jazz promoter Jack Kleinsinger, "demonstrates that the time has come to stop appraising Jonathan as a 'gifted prodigy' and start acknowledging him as the 'veteran' jazz master he has become."
We are HONORED to have him with us at Cask Alehouse.

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